Wedding bells and murder at the hotel where Agatha Christie was found
It was a most bizarre beginning to an evening. “Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the bride and groom, Zoe and Mike!” a man in a suit announced loudly at us. Everyone clapped, but no-one in the room had a clue who Zoe and Mike were.
My partner, Mr E, looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “I feel like I’m at a distant relative’s actual wedding,” he whispered as he shook his napkin out. I snorted into my champagne, he was right.
We were in character as guests at Zoe’s Second Wedding, a murder mystery night at The Old Swan in Harrogate. As one of the town’s historic grande dames, it was the perfect setting for a crime-fuelled evening, especially given its connection to novelist Agatha Christie, who was found there in 1926 after disappearing from her home for 10 days. About 60 of us, clad in smart wedding outfits (feather boas and all, I noticed), were sitting around large tables in the Wedgewood restaurant, making polite conversation.
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Charles, the father of the groom, suddenly burst through the doors and waved some sheets of paper at us. “I’m sorry to say that there’s been a murder!” he shouted to the room. “And you’re all suspects.” After a veritable silence and a few delayed ‘oohs’, a shriek rose from the corner – it was eccentric Aunt Gladys, a colourful whirlwind of a woman who fawned her way across the room. “Does this mean there won’t be any dancing?!” She cried.
Chaos ensued as the eight actors playing various roles panicked theatrically at news of the body which had been ‘found in the grounds’. My fellow guests immediately began busying themselves with theories and plots. The various actors dining at each table helped bring the story to life for the guests. The groom's controlling father, Charles, was – handily – also a detective inspector who fed us clues and twists throughout the evening.
“So how do you know Zoe?” I found myself asking my fellow guests over dinner. It all felt a bit cheesy, asking people I didn’t care about things I knew weren’t real and knowing that what they said back was a complete lie. So I adopted a wicked persona of my own and began loudly playing my fellow guests theories off against each other. The rowdy arguments were great fun to watch and the snide remarks were highly entertaining. I felt like I was watching a weird crime-soap version of the Jeremy Kyle show.
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After a three-course meal and copious amounts of wine we came to the climax of the evening and submitted our crime reports. Mr E. confessed his utter confusion and I admitted mine, so we scribbled something down and hoped for the best. The murderer was announced (I won't ruin it for you – you'll have to see it for yourself) and unsurprisingly we didn’t win, few groups did. “Agatha Christie would be turning in her grave!” The organiser said as she rounded up the evening. I suspect she would have found the whole thing quite hysterical.
• Read the full review: The Old Swan, Harrogate
Murder 57 events are held monthly at The Old Swan and cost from £46 or £105 per person including accommodation; 01423 500055; classiclodges.co.uk
